UDC

94(47).083:303.446.4

Authors

Aleksandr B. Astashov
Russian State University for the Humanities; ul. Nikol’skaya 15, Moscow, 109012, Russian Federation; e-mail: astashsh@yandex.ru

Abstract

This paper dwells on the activities of military courts in Petrograd in 1915 – early 1917. The author investigates the ability of military authorities to take legal measures to combat military offenses in the Petrograd garrison on the eve of the February Revolution. Until now, this problem has been considered neither in historical nor special literature on the history of state and law. The paper studied military courts of all kinds (from summary to drumhead courts-martial), the legislation on courts for military offenses during the war, the law enforcement practice, and the post-trial fate of offenders. The purpose of this research was to review the work of military courts at the stages of committal for trial, investigation, and sentencing, as well as analyse the frequency and effectiveness of punishment. The author used a wide range of archival sources from the headquarters and reserve brigades of the Petrograd Military District. It should be noted that the most important part of the crime situation in Petrograd during World War I were military offenses (desertion, self-harm, etc.). They undermined military discipline in the Petrograd garrison and affected the quality of new recruits. This downfall of discipline was addressed by a network of military courts, military prosecutor’s offices, and detention facilities. However, due to poor professional skills of the judges and conflicting views of different command authorities on the interpretation of jurisdiction and enforcement, military courts tended to mitigate the punishment of offenders and even decriminalized certain articles. Having analysed the dynamics of legal proceedings and law enforcement, the author comes to the conclusion that the work of military courts was inefficient and resulted in the accumulation of offenders (deserters) in Petrograd, which contributed to the military riot.

Keywords

World War I, Petrograd garrison, desertion, military courts, February Revolution

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